Monday, May 23, 2011

Lip reading skills barely required. Guess the fine.

Joakim Noah of the Bulls dropping the $100,000 anti-gay slur on a heckler last night

The NBA fined Kobe Bryant $100,000 for throwing this word back in April. But it was to a referee, not an annoying fan, and Bryant makes more money than Noah. Predictions on the fine? I'll take $20,000.

In early voting, a plurality of readers is saying Noah should not be fined.

Posted at 12:57:26 PM

Comments

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A plurality of readers must be blinded by homerism. Even if he didn't use the specific gay slur against a fan, he still swore right at them. Glen Davis was fined $25,000 last year for doing the same. Add in that Kobe was just fined for using the same word (and at a ref).

For the record, I'm ok with fining players for directing foul or inappropriate comments to spectators or anyone. I don't think the fact that it was a gay slur should increase or decrease such a fine. However, I'm kind of a sucker for homerism so I'm also ok with any Chicago fan who doesn't want to see Noah fined.

Those commercials are unintentional comedy at it's finest. I couldn't figure out what was going on at first and thought it was some kind of parody. We will see them on one of those VH1 shows about this decade 20 years from now. SNL needs to get on this.

Never heard the term "homerism" before, but I think it certainly applies in regard to the poll results.

It reminds me of Chicago's attitude towards Dennis Rodman. When he was an opponent, he was a disgusting thug. As soon as he became a Bull, he was a misunderstood, persecuted angel. That's when I learned Phil Jackson's Zen Buddhist philosophy was paper thin.

---Although I have no idea how to do it, there is a way to heckle players and fans relentlessly and stay within the conduct code of most venues. I've seen it done. Seems unlikely that a fan who provoked this outburst was doing so. Arenas can police this kind of obnoxious buffoonery much better than they do.

Noah should have been on notice after the Kobe Bryant incident, and the NBA has a right to protect its product by fining him and making a public show of it. Do the arguments against fining him go deeper than homerism?

Chris H makes a good point and it goes both ways. I heard a lot of hatred directed toward Mark Prior simply for being injured a lot and never really amounting to his promise. Hell, I bet if he came back and played here (it's possible) he'd get booed at Wrigley Field.

If new definitions were given to these words it could nullify or lessen its impact as an insult,since they could be giving you the highest compliment.
Gay could mean being a trendsetter.
f@#*#t could mean sticking to the principle of being true to yourself.

...there is a way to heckle players and fans relentlessly and stay within the conduct code of most venues...Seems unlikely that a fan who provoked this outburst was doing so."

Yes, there should be a line fans can't cross, abusive screamers also offend those sitting close to them. However, this does not absolve Noah, and it's why he immediately apologized. There are certain professions where this kind of retaliation is never excusable, pro sports is one of them. I've experienced verbal abuse on par with the worst heard by any pro athlete, yet I have never lost it to the point I would say something offensive in return. Self control is an important requirement, if I lose it, I could (and should) lose my job.

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